Mister Darcy
by Pleasantries and the Aftermath
Summary: Sakura had to wonder when she fell into a Jane Austen novel. Sasusaku.
1. An Indecent Proposal

So this is the product of watching Pride and Prejudice in English. We were supposed to read the book too, but we ran behind schedule and my teacher gave us Northanger Abbey instead. But watching the movie, I think I'll read the book over the summer in addition to my summer reading. This story basically is thanks to my English teacher's remark about Lizzie being proposed to three times, so if you like it, thank her.

Not entirely happy with this chapter, but I figured you guys might like this. Tell me what you think and if I should continue this or not.

Key: "Talking"  
'_Thinking'  
__Flashback_

Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto or Pride and Prejudice.

* * *

**Mr. Darcy  
**Chapter 1

"Marry me."

Sakura whipped her head around so quickly, she thought she might have gotten whiplash. There, in the same street where she had been left on a bench, was Sasuke. He was looking so absolutely straight-faced that one wouldn't have known he had just proposed, but had he really? Maybe she had just been imagining it. After all, Sasuke would never talk to her and the first words he'd said to her since returning to the village eight months ago certainly would not be a proposal of marriage.

Yup, Sasuke had returned to the village at last. It was a bit later than she expected—she thought he would've come back at an earlier date and they were both nineteen now—but he had come back, even if was only because Naruto knocked him out and dragged the unconscious boy back, leaving her to deal with their injuries when they collapsed at the gate.

The first few weeks were spent in silence. Both Naruto and Sasuke's bodies had shut down from exhaustion and were comatose. The only words spoken during that time was from Sakura's own mouth and even then, it was just to read aloud their charts or to berate them for their unattractive qualities, knowing Sasuke would've never let her get away with those things had he been awake.

Of course, after he did wake up, he responded merely in nods, grunts, and the same mono-syllabic answers he gave when he was twelve. Anything longer than that was passed onto her by Naruto (she questioned whether or not Naruto had just been putting words in Sasuke's mouth), and even after their blonde friend left the hospital, Sasuke had barely uttered a sound in her presence.

Sasuke's stay at the hospital lasted three months. Though the first three weeks were spent with him in a coma and the next few weeks conscious of treatment, he spent in check-ups, he could not leave, even after given a clean bill of health.

By order of Tsunade, Sasuke could not leave the hospital. This was for a multitude of reasons. For one, few people had forgiven Sasuke for his treachery and he was certain to be harassed if he left the grounds; second, he was still considered a threat and Tsunade would have an easier time keeping an eye on him if he was relegated to an area where she had most power over; and third, he had no place to live. Though the Uchiha compound had been repaired to a certain degree after he left, there was no furniture or running water, and the paperwork would take weeks to fill in order for the place to become habitable and under the care of its sole heir should he be granted clemency (though it was no question that he would. The village couldn't afford to lose the Sharingan, after all).

Of course, his hearing was another reason for his stay at the hospital. Tsunade had explained it to her once—something about the elders of the council possibly sending assassins after him—but the way Sakura saw it, they were all used to being the objects of assassination at one point or another and she was sure that Sasuke, a missing-nin feared in three countries, would have little trouble disposing of his enemies—not to mention what Naruto would do if he found out what happened—and so, she just tuned it out and nodded with a "yes, Tsunade-sama."

At the trial, Sakura was called on to be a character witness. The entire Rookie 9 and Team Gai had been called in, as well as Kakashi, Yamato, and Sai, to speak on Sasuke's behalf. (Danzou had been one of the few to speak out against Sasuke.) And while she couldn't say that she particularly cared for Sasuke anymore—her feelings of love had turned into a bitter resentment against him in these past few years—she still valued him as a friend and teammate, even if it was nostalgia, and spoke highly of his character. Due to their efforts (mostly Naruto and Kakashi's), Sasuke's sentencing had been light: a mere two years probation from leaving the village walls as well as being under a six-month watch before he was able to start training again to become a chuunin. Suffice it to say, the council was not happy with Tsunade's decision, but she didn't care and with a flourish, stamped her signature on his sentencing papers.

After that, Sakura lost touch with Sasuke; partially due to her work load at the hospital and in the field; partially due to whatever the hell Sasuke did during his probation. They ran into each other occasionally, but passed on like strangers. They rarely spoke—Sasuke was still freakishly attached to mono-syllabic answers. Would it kill him to say something more than 'Aa' or 'Hn'?—and she probably would've lost contact with Sasuke all together had it not been for Naruto's scheduled Ichiraku-Team 7 dates, but even those events were strained at best.

Looking back, it was as if they were never friends to begin with. If anything, Naruto's friendship with Sasuke seemed to have gotten stronger, but there was always a silence between Sasuke and her. It might've been because they didn't know what to say to each other, or it might have just been because they were entirely different people from who they were before.

Frankly, Sakura didn't know if she would ever be able to forgive Sasuke for all that he'd done to her and Naruto—she had to hand it to Naruto, he was a far better person than she ever would be—but despite efforts on her part (and she suspected/hoped on his as well), that silence was there and at the rate things were between them, she thought it would remain there forever.

So when Sasuke had stopped her in the middle of an empty street to propose to her, it was an understatement to say she was surprised. Sasuke had never spoken anything beyond a grunt to her. A proposal—much less to her—was just inconceivable and she desperately wracked her brain to figure out what had spurned him to say that.

Had he eaten something strange? Was he running a fever? She was anxious to find out because Sasuke was certainly not in his right mind if he gave a declaration of love to her with a straight-face. How could he be? When Naruto asked her out a few years ago, she was sure the village would be flooded by the amount of sweat pouring off his body.

And that's when it hit her. Naruto. That idiot probably riled Sasuke up into one of their stupid arguments and dared him to do this as a prank. How else could he have proposed with such a straight face?

And so, Sakura did what any reasonable girl would've done: she refused him. Not in the long, apologetic way she would've done when she was fifteen or the sharp, curt response she would've given at twelve had she wanted to refuse him then. No, this refusal summed up who she was now: a smart, young woman too experienced to deal with this crap and would be damned if she was going to fall for it.

Lifting her head so she could meet his gaze—eye-to-eye was impossible given their difference in height—she stared him down and drew a breath. "No," she said flatly and walked off confidently with a smirk on her face. She could just imagine the stunned look on his face as she practically sauntered away when she realized something…it was Tuesday, and Tuesday was Ichiraku-Team 7 night.

'_Crap, I have to see him again later,'_ she thought dismally.

Groaning to herself, she silently cursed every god, deity, and relative—dead or living—she could think of, and covered her face with her hand. If there was ever a time for a face-palm moment, it was now.

Chancing a look back—it was a chance. If he was still there, it would seem like she was reconsidering, which she wasn't. She didn't do that stupid saunter for nothing—she was lucky to see him gone. Sighing a breath of relief, she began to massage her temples, soothing the sudden headache that had appeared. She had to plan; plan what she was going to say, plan what she was going to do because she would certainly be forced to talk to him by Naruto during the night and god, she didn't want to do that, but first things first, she had other problems to deal with…like the fact she was late to work (leave it to Sasuke to propose to her on the way to her job).

Pushing a bit of chakra to her feet, she propelled herself onto a rooftop and set a quick, easy pace. She should've just done this instead walking in the streets. Maybe then, she wouldn't have run into him.

She still couldn't believe it though. Even for a prank, that marriage proposal was pretty low and just when she thought it was over, she'd have to deal with it again over dinner. She didn't even know where to start in addressing this little problem. Great. Just great.

And with a heavy sigh, she skidded to a halt on a rooftop for another face-palm moment when she realized the full brunt of the problem before her. Screw addressing the problem. She'd be lucky just to survive the night.


	2. Tuesday

This is probably one of my faster updates. Not much for me to say other than thank you to the people who reviewed the first chapter and encouraged me to continue, so thank you to these people:

**ribbons-paws****, ****uchihablossom0626****, ****MelissaMichelle87****, .midnight, ****Crescent-Vampiress****, ****midnightcullengirl****, ****shkh4ever**

And wow, ten pages. This really spiraled out of control from the four or five I planned. I can't promise my chapters are going to stay this length or that I'll update this quickly.

And just to clarify, this isn't going to be like a full-on adaption of Pride and Prejudice, but there will be some subtle elements. Hope that isn't too disappointing to people. :(

* * *

**Mr. Darcy  
**Chapter 2

Sakura groaned aloud as she shut the door of a patient room behind her, running a hand through her pink hair exhaustedly. She had finished her round around the floor, and of course, her last patient had to be one Shiranui Genma. He had broken his leg and lacerated his spleen on his last mission and would remain in the hospital for three more days, but if Sakura had any say, she would've kicked him out of the hospital right now. Though she supposed she should feel some degree of pity for him since he was hospitalized, she couldn't bring herself to do so, especially after that pinch on the butt. (Even while crippled, Genma was still ever the pervert.)

She sighed heavily. _'Only three more days,' _she told herself wearily, but even those three days seemed too long. Hand pressed against her forehead, brows knit in agitation, she began walking down the hall.

"Sakura-san!"

Sakura turned around. "Hinata-chan!"

Though her tone held a hint of surprise, Sakura supposed it shouldn't, really. Hinata had been volunteering at the hospital for years now, starting shortly after Pein's invasion of Konoha. Though it started out as a way to pay Sakura back for saving her life, Hinata found that she truly enjoyed helping out at the hospital, even if she was only doing filing and paperwork at the nurse's station and Tsunade couldn't have been happier to let Hinata continue her work here. Privately, the Hokage had mentioned the hospital seemed to be a bit happier with Hinata around and frankly, Sakura would have to agree. Hinata's calm, soothing nature seemed to be perfect for a hospital setting. If it wasn't for her duties as clan head, she was certain Hinata would've joined the medical field.

"Sakura-san, your next patient," the pale-eyed girl said handing over a manila folder. Sakura deftly took it and flipped it open, scanning the patient info.

"Routine check-up for an outpatient," Sakura murmured to herself. Already running the list of tests she'd have to perform, she turned to Hinata, "would you like to come with me?"

Hinata blinked. "Are you sure it's alright if I do?" she asked hesitantly.

Sakura nodded. "It's fine," Sakura said dismissively, "it's an easy case and Tsunade trusts you with patients as much as she does me."

Which was true in some aspect. When it came to patient recovery, Hinata was one of the best. One could find her visiting patients all the time when she wasn't busy with her clan duties and each patient she visited was sure to have a smile by the time she left. Hinata was also a favorite of the older patients because of her patient and attentive nature when they told stories of the old days or their grandchildren.

But Hinata's bedside manner aside, Sakura simply liked having Hinata with her. Since Ino had stopped taking lessons under Tsunade and taking more hours at her parents' flower shop, Sakura had become lonelier. Though she knew Ino had only started medic training to be of more use to her team after Asuma's death, she didn't expect Ino to quit so soon. Truth be told, she had expected Ino to keep training with her until the end, but they both knew that Ino was more suited to interrogation than the medical field and her departure was met with no bad feelings.

It had to be a few months after that when Hinata came to the hospital looking for a way to repay her. Though the Hyuuga clan in general was in favor of repaying her (she had saved the heir, after all), it was Hinata who had uncharacteristically put her foot down and said that she would be the one to personally thank Sakura in the way she felt fit, which was to help lighten her load around the hospital. Though Sakura had initially put up a fight—Hinata didn't have to concern herself with this. She was only doing what any medic would do—Hinata had been adamant, surprising the pink-haired medic. She had never seen the Hyuuga heir so fired up before; maybe that was what had endeared her to the quiet girl.

During Hinata's six-month stay at Sakura's side, she filed paperwork; she prepared patient files; she helped keep track of Sakura's schedule—she even brought Sakura lunch and offered herself as a sparring partner! Soon, Sakura began looking forward to seeing Hinata everyday and when the six months were up, neither was willing to part from the other's side. A friendship had been built on those manila folders and food and coffee deliveries, and Sakura couldn't imagine the hospital without her. It'd be like losing an arm or her pink hair.

And so, Hinata decided to extend her stay. Her father did not protest her decision and after promising the council that it would not interfere with her clan duties, she was allowed to go to the hospital as much as she pleased. Secretly, she was happy for this large amount of freedom and Sakura was just as happy for her. They had become best friends over those six months and had shared many things with each other—things Sakura hadn't even shared with Ino—and now Sakura considered Hinata a dear friend who had earned a large home in her heart next to the other members of Team 7, Tsunade, and her other friends.

Sakura turned a left, then right, and then another right. The sun was beginning to pour in through the windows, the hallways swimming in natural light a bright contrast to overcast morning just a few hours earlier. In these halls, Sakura could hear the echo of her and Hinata's footsteps, and stopping at the second door from the end of the hall, Sakura arrived at the patient's door and opened the door.

"Neji?"

The dark-haired male looked up from his seat on the examination bench and inclined his head in greeting. "Sakura-san. Hinata-sama," he greeted politely before noting Sakura's shocked expression. "You seem surprised to see me."

"I am," Sakura admitted entering the room.

Neji blinked at her owlishly, not quite sure how to respond. "But my name should be on the folder."

Sure enough, it was, and for the third time that morning, she felt a face-palm was in order.

"I must have covered it with my thumb," she admitted sheepishly. "So, we're doing a routine exam as well as checking your broken leg, right?" she asked, already seating herself and rolling up his pants leg, not even needing to look up to see his answer. She already knew that she was, confirmed by his statement of, "You should know. You treated it just a few weeks ago."

The sentence was not condescending, but merely a statement. Many things Neji said could be taken for condescending, but after many months of interacting with the man, she had learned to decipher the meanings of his words by the slight changes in his tone.

As for how she knew, she was the only person other than Shizune or Tsunade he trusted to be his attending physician. This had started around two years ago. After returning from an Anbu mission with a punctured lung and a leg broken in three places along with a bacterial infection, he was scheduled to stay three months in the hospital. During that time, Neji faced a large number of atrocities such as having to deal with the fawning of the nurses, medics, and any fangirl who managed to sneak by security to drool over him. When it was Sakura's turn to check on his room, he found her touch more preferable to any medic who had come prior to her and requested that she be his personal medic. After all, she "didn't drool over him and set his bones wrong so they had to be broken and reset again." (Sakura had a firm talk with the medic who attended to him that day.)

After his three-month stay, she was surprised to find a nice tea set on her desk as a thank-you gift. Flattered by the gift as well as his complete trust in her medical abilities, Sakura continued to attend to him at his request. According to his charts, on the rare occasion he gained injuries, she was indeed the only person other than Tsunade and Shizune treating him. Though it had been strange at first, after a few weeks and some in-treatment/exam conversations, Sakura learned to be comfortable with the Hyuuga genius. Now, like his cousin, Neji was a dear friend who housed a large portion of her heart.

Running her fingers along his left calf muscle, she flexed his leg experimentally and once satisfied, patted it before wheeling away on her chair. "It seems fine now, and I know I don't have to tell you this, but please be careful, Neji."

At her pleading tone, Neji snorted softly as he put his shirt back on. "No promises." But his eyes were bright with a teasing glint. Sakura merely shook her head to herself before her smile suddenly fell and she sighed softly. Neji looked up from his dressing and blinked.

"Is something wrong, Sakura-san?"

Sakura sighed dramatically and kicked her foot against the floor to launch her exam stool into a spin. "Sasuke pulled a prank on me and I rebuffed him. First time ever that I rebuff him—and I looked so cool doing it too!—but I forgot I have to see him again tonight and I _really_ don't want to see him again," she said with a note of dread in her voice as her chair slowed to a stop, her head in her hands.

Neji nodded sagely. Sakura had told him about the Team 7-Ichiraku dates and her distaste for her interactions with Sasuke. So instead of pointless questions of where she was going to see him, he asked, "What prank?" After all, it seemed out of character for the Uchiha male to do something as juvenile as pull a prank. He would've thought that would be something more on Naruto's level.

"He said he wanted me to marry him. How unbelievable is that?! The nerve of that Naruto daring him to do that! When I get my hands on him…" Her hands were miming a gesture of her wringing the blonde boy's neck, eyes full of malicious intent before she threw her hands up and sighed, wincing when she felt a sharp tug at her scalp. Looking back, she freed the hairs that had gotten caught under her arm. She growled; she knew growing her hair out again was a bad idea.

"That does seem a bit extreme, even for Naruto. Are you sure it's a prank?" Neji asked.

Sakura nodded somberly. "Of course. Why else would Sasuke propose to me?" A muffled frustrated scream left Sakura's mouth which was buried in her hands. "I really don't want to see him alone tonight. Sure, Naruto's there, but he gets so into his stories, he doesn't notice anything around him and Kakashi-sensei is still on that mission and Sai…Sai…he's just going to make things worse somehow," she said dismally. Hinata approached the girl and patted her shoulder comfortingly. She had no idea what else to do. Her teammates were nothing like Sakura's. Kiba may have been animated, but nowhere near Naruto, and Shino was so serious, he would've never done something like a proposal, even as a prank. Actually…she didn't even know if the bug-user had ever pranked someone before.

"It's okay, Sakura-chan. I'm sure it won't be too bad. And I'm always here if you need help."

Sakura looked up and smiled. "Thanks Hinata."

Sakura was genuinely touched that Hinata would go so far for her friend, but that's how Hinata was: kind, giving, and dependable. She even said that she would always be there to help. With Hinata, she'd never feel alone...

Wait. That's it!

"That's it, Hinata! You can come with me to dinner tonight! It'll be my treat!"

Hinata seemed aghast. "Sakura-chan, I can't do that! I'd be intruding! And I'd have no idea what to do! No, this is your weekly team get-together and I just can't intrude."

"But Hinata, I can't face Sasuke alone. I need your support. You're the only person I can count on!"

"But—!"

Sakura held Hinata's hands clasped in hers and looked into her eyes beseechingly. "Please, Hinata. I can't do this by myself. I need you with me tonight," Sakura pleaded seriously, eyes searching her friend's. Hinata looked at Sakura, and then sighed.

"Alright," she said at last.

Sakura could've leapt for joy. "Thank you!" she said throwing her arms around her petite friend. Hinata looked over Sakura's shoulder to her cousin who merely nodded.

"I'll tell the family that you will not be dining with us tonight."

"Thank you," Hinata said quietly.

And with that, Neji left, leaving a slightly nervous Hinata and a relieved Sakura. Sakura fell back into her stool and twirled listlessly around the room. Now it was just a waiting game.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto loved ramen. It was a well-known fact that he did. It was also a well-known fact that he ate it at every meal. Sure, Sakura made sure he ate something other than just ramen when they did training sessions by bringing lunch for them both, but even she knew that if he could, ramen would be the only thing he would ever eat. It was this subtle appreciation for ramen from Sakura that made him love her so much. She knew how to appreciate the broth-filled dish, unlike the two he sat between.

He slurped a noodle and turned to point his chopsticks at the Uchiha to his left. "You know teme, I've been thinking…maybe if you ate more ramen, you'd be less…I don't know…emo."

The stunned look Sasuke sent the blonde did not deter the boy. In fact, it encouraged him.

"I'm serious. It makes sense. I mean, I eat it all the time and look at me! I'm the happiest ninja in the country! Sakura-chan eats it too, and look at her! Hell! Sai eats this stuff and he's smiling all the time."

"He doesn't even know _how_ to emote. And I doubt you could call that a smile," Sasuke commented scathingly as the ROOT nin turned to him with the aforementioned plastic grin. Sasuke inwardly shuddered. Something was not right with that boy.

"See! This is exactly what I mean!" Naruto shouted with his hands up in the air. Leaning down, he said in a conspiratorial tone, "I mean I know Sai's smile is creepy, but he's trying—which is more than I can say for you. I mean, seriously! You're acting more pissy than usual. What happened, teme?"

Sasuke merely grunted and looked away. Just then, a cheerful voice echoed from up the street.

"Hey Naruto!"

"Sakura-chan!" the blonde nin said boisterously as he enveloped the girl in a hug. Sakura laughed.

"Ugh, Naruto. They invented a thing called toothpaste a while back. Maybe you should think about using it," she joked, but nevertheless pulled her head back from Naruto's ramen breath. "And I hope you don't mind, but I brought Hinata-chan to eat with us."

Naruto looked over her shoulder as if just noticing the shy girl before giving a beaming smile. "No! The more the merrier!"

Running back to the counter, Naruto patted the two remaining empty seats invitingly, ducking his head as Sai moved to complete their seat switch, sitting down and smiling up at the Uchiha as if to say 'Fuck you.' Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in irritation. Bastard.

Sakura motioned for Hinata to take the seat besides Naruto as she took the seat on the farthest right. Though the Ichiraku Ramen stand was a small establishment, Sakura was going to put as much space between her and Sasuke if she could help it.

Placing an order for a shouyu ramen, she smiled at Ayame and sat quietly as she waited for her order to be made. Naruto noticed her silence and loudly asked, "What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura was usually quiet during these dinners—he had some notion of why. It involved Sasuke, he knew that—but even then, her silence was aimed at Sasuke only. The fact she was quiet to him and brought a friend to act as a buffer did not sit well with Naruto and in all the years of knowing her, these actions could only mean one thing: he'd pissed her off somehow.

Sakura looked at him scathingly. "Don't act like you don't know," she said, snapping her chopsticks with such savagery, it sounded like a lightening clap. He winced.

"Know what?!" he said, half-shouting, half-whining because honestly, he was lost and it didn't bode well for his mind. Sai looked over Naruto's shoulder from the corner of his eye. He wanted to know as well; Sakura had told him this feeling was curiosity.

Sakura made an indignant sound and crossed her arms over her chest. "That you dared Sasuke to propose to me!"

The subsequent loud choking sounds coming from Naruto immediately made Sakura's feelings of indignation waver, but she held firm. He was probably faking it so she wouldn't kick his butt.

Naruto continued to pound on his chest. He could feel his face burning and the tears prickling at his eyes as he tried to cough out the noodles. Sai seemed to notice his friend was having trouble breathing because a look of understanding seemed to dawn on him. From the many books and dramas Sakura had lent him to help understand feelings and interactions, he knew Naruto was choking, and as a friend, it was his duty to help him dislodge the offending item from his throat by patting him on the back. And with that thought and a blisteringly cheery smile, Sai pulled his hand back and hit Naruto's back…swatting him face-first into his bowl of ramen.

Sakura watched as Naruto landed in the bowl, noodles and droplets of broth flying everywhere as he did so. Suddenly, Sakura was more thankful for her seat. If she had sat there, her nice cream-colored coat—her favorite coat—would've been ruined, though she did feel bad for Hinata. Some of the soup had landed on the hem of her jacket and pants. She'd pay for the dry-cleaning bill later.

Naruto pressed his hands against the wooden counter and looked up. Part of his hair was drenched and his face dripped ramen-broth, a few stray noodles hanging from his eyelashes and cheeks. He blinked his eyes and spluttered a couple of times before staring at her in shock and shouting as if he hadn't just been dunked face-first into a bowl of lukewarm ramen, "SASUKE-TEME PROPOSED TO YOU?!"

Sakura blinked owlishly. Naruto seemed genuinely surprised. "You didn't know?"

"NO!" Naruto shouted aghast, voice shooting several decibels higher. Sakura blinked once more and craned her head around the line of mayhem before her.

"So you were actually serious when you proposed to me? It wasn't a joke?"

Sasuke glared at her with his arms crossed over his chest. If she looked hard enough, she would've seen his eyebrow twitch in anger. "Did you think I was kidding when I proposed to you?" he asked, his words cold and clipped as he ignored Naruto's shouts of 'So you DID propose to her!'

Sakura mirrored his gesture and turned away, half in frustration, half in indignation. "Of course!" she replied.

Sasuke's brow twitched once again, his anger now slowly threading the air in the Ichiraku. Sakura could've sworn she felt the air temperature drop, but held her challenging glare firm, watching Sasuke's glare narrow further at her.

"Tch. I'm leaving," he said abruptly getting up from the counter. After all, he was not going to just sit idly while his pride was being trampled on.

Grabbing his coat, he dropped a few bills on the counter and turned to give a curt nod to the dining party before stalking off towards the clan district. As he left, the air temperature rose to its previous state. The tension in the air seemed to dissipate as well, as if his poisonous hatred was being called back into his body since it seemed to hang around his body like a thick fog as he departed. His shoulders were slightly stooped and his body seemed tense. In Sasuke-ese, the language of Uchiha Sasuke that Haruno Sakura had learned and still retained from her genin days, this could only mean one thing: he was mad. Not only that, he might have even seemed slightly disappointed.

At the thought of him being disappointed, a foreign sensation began spreading through her chest. It started at her heart, dulling the sensation of the rhythmic beats and cooling the warmth of her blood as the sensation began spreading in tendrils through her body and coiled around her lungs. If she didn't know any better, she would've sworn it was…

'_No! No way am I feeling guilty! Okay, that was kind of bitchy of me to assume the worst of him and throw that proposal in his face…what…three times?'_

The guilty feeling began coiling itself further into her body. She could feel it coil around her throat. She suddenly felt really bad.

'_But he totally deserved it!'_ she hastily amended in her mind. After all, it was his fault for being so abrupt and proposing to her when they hadn't spoken to each other since he returned. How dare he assume that just because she loved him once, she would just drop everything and stupidly say yes? Did he not consider her feelings at all? The changes she'd gone through while he was away? Or did he still see her as just that worthless, weak, selfish genin from years ago? If that was indeed how he saw her, she'd be disappointed. In fact, she might just break off ties with him indefinitely if he did see her like that; it was such an insult to her career as a kunoichi and to herself. She'd changed. Couldn't he see that?

Sakura sighed to herself. It'd be bad to stay on that topic any longer if she wanted to keep this semblance of a good day. Deciding that she needed a change of scenery, Sakura turned her head, about to start a conversation with Hinata when she noticed the girl was gone from her seat. Instead, she was kneeling on the floor by Naruto who had somehow managed to stumble from his seat to the street just outside the ramen stand. Handkerchief in hand, Hinata was carefully dabbing away the soup from his face.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan," Naruto said with a nervous smile, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as reality began dawning on him. He just got smacked face-first into a bowl of ramen and his hair looked and smelled horrible (even he was willing to admit ramen and hair was a bad combination). Kami, he'd need a shower after this.

Hinata merely shook her head. "It's n-no t-t-trouble, Naruto-k-kun," she stammered with a small smile and delicate blush painting her features that Naruto missed. Sakura, however, didn't and she smiled warmly to herself. She knew that Hinata still harbored a crush for her blonde idiot of a teammate, a fact that had shocked the medic when she had first learned, not because Hinata had a crush on the boy—it had been obvious for years—but because she still had one. Even her own crush hadn't lasted so long, and for Hinata to have held out hope of all hopes for the boy, it was cute. What was more, it was touching and endearingly innocent despite their careers and Sakura couldn't help but feel happy for the girl and encourage her and hope with Hinata for the day that Naruto returned her affections.

Now that was an idea, and what better way to pay Hinata back for all that she'd done? Besides, it was infuriating that Naruto was too dense to notice—even after she'd confessed to him shortly before being skewered on a sword trying to defend him. If that wasn't love, Sakura didn't know what was—and they'd be so cute! Her mind was already spawning images of their children.

So it was decided. She would try to get Hinata and Naruto together. It was the perfect plan, practically fool-proof. After all, Naruto would be too dense to notice, and even if he did, if it didn't hold his attention, he'd soon forget about it; and Hinata was too innocent and trusting to think Sakura, one of her best friends, would be scheming to get the two of them together.

And with a smile and devious chuckle to herself, Sakura reclined in her seat and began finishing the rest of her dinner. The ramen had never tasted better.


	3. Another Indecent Proposal

Hi guys, long time no see! Sorry for the wait, college applications and school just flattened me and I had no time to write anything. (Seriously, last thing I wrote was probably last May or June.) But anyway, for the people who were waiting very patiently to read this, thank you for sticking with me.

And thank you to these reviewers (You guys rock my socks and shoes): **ribbons-paws, uchihablossom0626, MelissaMichelle87, .midnight, Crescent-Vampiress, midnightcullengirl, shkh4ever, ****BornBlindtoBeauty****, ****.midnight****, ****rainbow spell****, ****edgysilence****, ****Uchihablossom0626****, ****cherryblossomdream****, ****Laura-chan****, ****Sessy52****, ****MyUsedRomance****, ****pink-strawberries****, and Rachel.**

Now on with the story! (Hopefully this will explain Sakura's odd choice last chapter)

* * *

**Mr. Darcy  
**Chapter 3

Naruto was not smart. Though he wasn't an absolute idiot as some of his former classmates liked to believe, he would admit there were many things he did not know that other people did.

He still didn't know the boiling point of water or why the ocean was blue. He didn't know how to multiply numbers with more than four-digits; nor did he know how to use mathematical equations to calculate the exact angle and speed to throw a kunai with so that it would ricochet off a wall and kill someone (Neji could save his numbers; he'd just wing it).

However, Naruto knew that he knew the important things. He knew the exact noodle-to-water ratio needed for perfect ramen; he knew how to handle an angry Haruno Sakura, and most importantly, he knew how to tell apart Sasuke's emotions.

Ducking another vicious kick aimed for his head (he was sure this was no accident), Naruto crouched down and threw three kunai, watching as Sasuke leapt back before charging forward again. When he got in close, he began the question that had been sitting on his mind. "Hey Sasuke…" Naruto ventured.

"What?" Sasuke said shortly. Naruto chose to ignore his tone. He knew he didn't mean anything by it; Sasuke's speech patterns were naturally like that.

"Are you angry or something?" Naruto asked, bending backwards to avoid a sweep to his temple (Again, his head. He'd have to talk to Sasuke about the possibility of brain damage one day) before leaping away from the clan heir. "Because it seems like you are."

From his position just a few meters away, Sasuke grunted into his fighting stance. "I'm not," was his clipped answer.

"You sure?" Naruto asked warily.

Sasuke made a grumbling sound before rolling his eyes slightly in exasperation. "Yes. Why are you asking?"

"Because you seem to be hitting a lot harder than usual and—" Naruto's sentence was cut short as he leapt to avoid the large stream of fire aimed towards him. Landing, he stared at the singed grass of the training ground below his feet.

"—and that," Naruto remarked, pointing at the smoking foliage at his feet. The groundskeeper was not going to be happy. Sasuke merely scoffed.

A brief silence passed over the two. Sasuke stared off into the distance, waiting for Naruto to give a signal to continue as Naruto stared at the burnt earth beneath his sandals. Suddenly, Naruto spoke.

"Is it…did you really propose to Sakura?" Naruto asked, his brows knit as confusion colored his tone.

Looking up, he glanced at Sasuke's face to see his reaction. His lips were scrunched into a scowl, his eyes narrowed as the arms crossed over his chest became tense. He was irritated for sure, but nonetheless, he replied.

"I did propose to her," he answered calmly, dropping his arms on a quiet release of air. He figured that having answered Naruto's question, they could get back to training (their reservation was only for two hours and he planned to use every minute of it). However, the dobe had other plans in mind.

Blinking owlishly at Sasuke, a single word left his mouth. "Why?" His tone showed his bewilderment as well as the shock he still carried for the whole event.

Scoffing, Sasuke folded his arms back over his chest and scowled. "Shouldn't it be obvious?"

Naruto looked at his friend and thought long and hard before finally giving his answer.

"…No. Not really."

* * *

Sakura sat in her booth seat, seated across from Ino, and stirred her drink cautiously. It was Thursday, two days after her debacle, and she had called Ino for help, telling her to meet at their favorite café. However, now with Ino sitting across from her with a bored (and if she looked hard enough, slightly pissed) expression, she was beginning to regret it.

"So wait, we haven't seen each other in weeks and you're asking me to help you get two of your friends together?" Her tone told Sakura she wasn't amused.

Sakura stirred her drink—a strawberry milk tea—anxiously. "Yeah…" she offered weakly, "But this is important to me! Hinata is important to me!"

Ino hummed in slight irritation and sipped a bit from her own order before releasing the straw with a slight pop. "Fine, but um…who is Hinata again?" Ino asked sheepishly, a complete contrast from the flat tone she spoke in earlier.

Meanwhile, from across the table, Sakura was trying very hard not to scream.

"How do you not remember who Hinata is? I just introduced her to you two months ago!" she shouted in disbelief, her voice causing the water in the small vase on their table to quake. Nearby, the patrons made furtive glances from their tables, knowing full-well that it would be wise to keep their mouths shut if they didn't want that anger to be directed towards them.

Ino, on the other hand, stared back at her friend unperturbed as if she wasn't looking at a girl capable of bursting every blood vessel in her face with just the touch of her pinky. She even had the audacity to look bored. "I know a lot of people, forehead," she stated stirring her drink before taking a sip, "But the name sounds familiar."

At this, Sakura groaned and covered her face with her hand. How Ino, mistress of all that was gossip and information in Konoha, could not recognize the name of the Hyuuga clan heiress was beyond her, but that was a problem for another day. Trying to pull herself together, Sakura tried to refresh Ino's memory.

"She was the shy, freaky girl when we were in the Academy together," Sakura reminded, head hanging limply between the hands buried in her hair. "You know, pale eyes, dark hair?"

At the thoughtful noise Ino made while sipping her drink, Sakura assumed she was getting somewhere. Raking her hands through the rest of her hair, she continued. "Anyway, now she has really long hair and…um…ahugerack," Sakura said hastily, feeling her cheeks burn as she cupped her hands over her chest to what she believed to be Hinata's chest size before dashing them under the table as if she was burned. She felt mortified for making such a gesture, but Ino wouldn't have got it otherwise. Despite what people thought, Ino wasn't that great with remembering people. However, she was great with names and the statistics of their owners.

As if a light bulb went off, Ino let go of her straw with a loud 'pop!' of her cherry-lip-gloss-covered lips. "Oh…her!" Ino exclaimed with a look of recognition in her eyes. Sakura felt the hope brimming within her. Finally!

Still feeling the euphoria of remembering the quiet heiress, Ino smiled and waved her hand. "I'd be glad to help!" she chimed. Sakura felt her breath catch and opened her mouth, ready to bombard her friend with questions when she heard Ino continue.

"…If only it worked on blonde idiots."

Ignoring the large, _glaring_ target that comment left open to her, Sakura settled for a confused, "Come again?"

Leaning against the wall of their booth, Ino sighed and played with her hair, frowning when she found a few split ends—she'd get those later—before letting it go with another hopeless sigh. "You heard me. It doesn't work on idiots like Naruto. That boy isn't natural, and I doubt my tricks are something her family would approve of."

In her mind, Sakura imagined Hinata exercising Ino's tricks. Sakura knew they involved a fair amount of low-cut clothing (she'd been a victim to Ino's dating lessons herself), and ignoring Hinata's personality and the way she dressed, Sakura had to only see the mental image for half a second to see the disapproving and perplexed look of her father, and the horrified, scandalized faces of her elderly council.

"You're right," Sakura agreed, shaking her head at the plan. Ino took no offense and sipped her drink thoughtfully, rolling the taste around her mouth. "So why are you so interested all of a sudden?" Ino asked languidly, pushing her drink away.

At this, Sakura gave a nervous chuckle and forced a benign smile. "What do you mean? Hinata's been a really good friend to me and I just want to help her since she's been in love with the poor boy for so long.

Ino hummed and sent a dubious look over her tall glass, telling Sakura exactly what she though of that answer. "What's the real reason? And tell the truth this time, or at least try and lie a little better. You are talking to an Anbu interrogator, after all."

At this, Sakura's gaze fell into her lap as she felt apprehension creep up her spine. Glancing up through her bangs to see Ino still awaiting an answer, Sakura drew a breath and hoped Ino couldn't see how she was wringing her hands under the table. "Promise not to tell?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

"Promise," Ino replied solemnly.

Sakura measured Ino's gaze before raking a hand through her hand. "Alright," she sighed. Placing her arms on the table, she leaned forward with Ino following suit. Not knowing where to begin, Sakura hesitated. Was it really right of her to share a private matter like this?

'_This is perfectly fine and I'm in my right to do this. I'm just telling Ino so I can seek her counsel on this delicate matter. Yeah, that's it.'_

Besides, her mind argued, she was the real victim for having to be subjected to this type of harassment. If Sasuke thought he was doing her a favor in proposing to her, he had another thing coming.

Sighing agitatedly, Sakura played with the fabric of her elbow-guards before finally finding a good way to start. "So I was on my way to work Tuesday when Sasuke stopped me. I asked what he wanted—you know how we never talk anymore—and well…he kinda…sorta…_proposetedtomeandIdon'twanttothinkaboutitanymore._Done," she squeaked.

Hesitantly cracking open her eyes (Sakura had closed them in her nervousness), she saw Ino gaping across the table, her eyes as wide as saucers. "He did **WHAT?!**"

Wincing at the volume of her friend's voice, Sakura felt a hint of respect for the girl for having managed to catch all that. She had spat those words out in such a rush, she was surprised she hadn't stumbled over them.

"Ino, indoor voice. We aren't the only people here," she reminded.

Ino made a sound that seemed to be a cross between a growl and a groan. "Forehead, how do you expect me to speak softly when he—AHH!!! I can't even finish my sentence, I'm so excited!" she gushed before letting fly a stream of high-pitched squeaks. To be honest, Sakura didn't know if she was laughing, muffling her screaming, or trying to impersonate a banshee.

Sakura winced at her friend's screeching tone and, trying very hard not to shrink into her booth seat as she felt the eyes of the people neighboring their table stare at them, slapped a hand over her friend's mouth. "Not so loud, Ino!" she hissed, pressing her hand to the table Ino had been kicking for the past ten seconds.

Ino tried to argue that she wasn't being loud, but finding her words muffled by her friend's hand, she pried it off and began her point again. "I am not being loud. I'm just excited. **BECAUSE UCHIHA SASUKE PRO—**_MMMPH_!"

"Ino!" Sakura hissed, glaring at her friend to get the hint to 'shut the hell up.' Ino, offended by her friend's insistence that she was being annoying, glared back, but eventually sighed and gave up. Forehead could be as stubborn as her sometimes (and that was saying something).

Picking off Sakura's hand, she watched Sakura take it back gratefully and, ignoring the fact she wiped her hand off with a napkin, Ino stirred the remains of her iced melon drink beside her hand, staring into it and sighing.

"Okay, I get it. I'll be quiet. Still…forehead, this is a miracle. Sasuke—THE Uchiha Sasuke—proposed to you. That ice block—that guy with the biggest stick up his ass—bigger than _Neji's_—melted and proposed to you. This is BIG. Bigger than big. This is huge! Just think. You're going to be Mrs. Uchiha Sasuke—"

"Ino…"

"And think, you'll have his last name. Uchiha Sakura. Kind of catchy—"

"Ino…"

"And your kids! They'll be so cute! I hope they get his genes for hair color. No offense, billboard, but your hair color will have your kid laughed out of the Academy. And—"

"INO!"

At the sound of Sakura's ear-splitting yell, said girl winced as she covered her ears, still feeling her head ring. "Sheesh, forehead. And you say I'm loud."

"Sorry, but it was the only way I could get your attention," Sakura replied, which was true. Ino was talking a mile a minute and if she didn't interrupt Ino, she was sure the conversation would've breached into talks about her grandchildren or something else equally awkward.

Waiting for Ino to recover, she looked the girl dead in the eye, already seeing her opening her mouth to speak. Sakura raised a hand to stop her. "Before you go on another tangent, you should know that I didn't accept his proposal. I refused him. On three separate occasions, actually," she admitted sheepishly.

"What? But I thought you liked him," Ino stated, and when she said anything—especially when it came to her best friend's love interests—she was never wrong.

Sakura shook her head. That disgusted look on her face seemed to say otherwise. "Not anymore. In fact, I hate him," she said resolutely.

Ino, having finished her drink, licked the spoon of its foam thoughtfully. "Someone sounds bitter," she quipped.

Sakura narrowed her gaze at her friend. "Stuff it, Ino."

Ino merely brushed it off and artfully plucked the spoon from her mouth. "Whatever. But you know…if you hate him so much, why do you seem so bummed about it? Shouldn't you be lauding over the fact you _dumped_ him?"

At this, Sakura sighed and pulled at her hair. "Yes…no…I don't know. It's just—it's just…when he proposed to me, I thought it was a joke that Naruto had put him up to, but apparently he'd been serious. And we _know_ how big his ego is. I don't know. I just feel guilty."

Sakura looked to the side and bit her lip anxiously. It had been a bit mean of her to reject him more than once, especially with his ego. If there was one thing she was sure of about Sasuke, it was how much pride he had in himself. She didn't blame him, of course. He did come from a very powerful and prestigious clan; he had looks that could rival a model's; and he had intellect. There was a lot for him to be proud about, and she suspected that with what happened to his family, that pride in who he was and where he came from was all that he had.

But even then, she couldn't quell that spark of indignation that rose within her at his proposal. Just because he had a lot of things to be proud of, didn't mean that she was going to bow down and count herself lucky that he had chosen her out of all the other prospects in Konoha. Maybe when she was younger, she would've thought that way, but this was a new Haruno Sakura, and she would be damned if he expected her to be grateful; his hurt feelings were no concern of hers.

Besides, it was his fault if his ego was hurt by her dismissal. After all, hadn't he heard of the phrase 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall?'

Her feelings of guilt gone, Sakura felt decidedly better. _'Besides, I have no time to feel pity for myself or him. I still have to get Hinata and Naruto together!' _

With a fiery determination in her eye, Sakura looked up and smacked her money down resolutely. "See you, Ino. I gotta go. I need to figure out my plan for getting Hinata together with Naruto," she said scrambling out of the seat and straightening her clothes. Satisfied with her appearance, Sakura bid Ino a rushed farewell and quickly left the booth.

Ino watched as Sakura made her way down the aisle towards the exit. Head cradled in hand, she stirred her empty glass absentmindedly as she watched Sakura's resolute steps. Her back straight and eyes forward, she was the embodiment of a woman with a plan. In some ways, she felt very proud of Sakura for her new determination. Though she had always been serious by nature after Sasuke's defection, it was always work-related. Ino hoped that this new plan of getting Hinata and Naruto together (no matter how misguided) would loosen her up a bit.

Still, she felt bad for Sasuke. Though she hadn't talked to Sasuke much since his defection (Anbu kept a girl busy), he couldn't be as bad as Sakura was making him out to be.

Still, she could feel sorry for him later. Right now, she had some gossip to spread.

* * *

Sakura lay in bed with a book in her hands. It was still the same day as her talk with Ino and while she had been determined to have some improvement between her two close friends, Hinata was in a clan meeting all day and Naruto had disappeared into one of the many training fields. And once the sun went down, Sakura knew she couldn't do anymore for that day. Hinata's family was very punctual about dinner and interruptions, whether by family or outsiders, were not tolerated by any means.

After going home and eating a quick dinner and having a quick shower, Sakura climbed into bed with a book in her hands. It was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and while Sakura was never quite into romantic novels as much as her other friends and coworkers were, it had come under high recommendation from both Ino and Hinata. Hinata had even begged Sakura to read it, saying that even if it was a romantic novel, it was a classic, and Hinata knew Sakura's weakness for classic literature.

Her hair still damp, Sakura flopped onto her stomach, pulling down the hem of the camisole creeping up her stomach and finding a comfortable position on her bed. Flipping to the place where her bookmark was wedged firmly between pages, Sakura idly kicked her legs as she searched for the line she had left off on.

Though she had initially had a hard time reading the book (the language was not difficult. Trying to accept what it was inevitably going to be was the hard part), she found that she actually enjoyed reading it. The characters were amusing and she found some of them quite relatable. However, she shared Elizabeth's sentiment about Mr. Darcy, disliking his snobbish behavior and pretentious air (much like a certain person she knew). Even his looks couldn't save his horrible personality for Sakura (plus, he insulted Elizabeth. Rude!), and she much preferred Mr. Bingley to his grumpy friend. Still, Darcy was enough of a complex character that she couldn't dislike him entirely.

However, her work at the hospital didn't give her much free time, so she was only a fraction into the book, much to her dismay (as much as she hated to admit it, this book was hard to put down). She last left off on the scene in the drawing room while Jane was still ill, and upon finding the line, Sakura began reading.

"…_My feelings are not puffed about with every attempt to move them. My temper would perhaps be called resentful. My good opinion once lost is lost forever."_

At this, Sakura scoffed. Darcy was too much like Sasuke for her comfort, or her liking, but she put her grumbling aside to get back to the story (even if Darcy annoyed her).

"_That is a failing indeed!" cried Elizabeth. "Implacable resentment is a shade of character. But you have chosen your fault well. I really cannot laugh at it. You are safe from me."_

"_There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil, a natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome."_

"_And your defect is a propensity to hate everybody."_

"_And yours," he replied with a smile, "is willfully to misunderstand them."_

The line made Sakura give pause. Not only did he smile, but his tone seemed almost teasing. It was almost cute, and it sparked her interest even further, causing her to shove her nose into the book as she continued.

"_Do let us have a little—"_

Suddenly, there was a knock on her window.

"Ahhh!" Sakura screamed, looking up to watch as her window opened and a shadowed figure entered into her room.

"Hello, Sakura-chan."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura shrieked indignantly, throwing a pillow at him in her frustration which he easily caught. "Don't just come to my window in the middle of the night! What if I'd been naked?!"

"But you weren't. In fact, I doubt you've ever been naked in your own room," he stated calmly, leaving the window sill and crossing the room to return her pillow to her. Annoyed and frustrated by his response (was she really that predictable?), she snatched it from him, and marking her place, hugged the pillow to her chest to petulantly glare at him. Kakashi merely took it with stride, no doubt used to outbursts such as these from years of teaching Team 7. He probably had the patience of a saint by now.

Using the moonlight filtering through her open window to glare at him, it was then that she noticed his appearance. He was still in his Anbu garb with small scratches and nicks dotting the bare skin of his shoulders and peeking through the tears in his gloves; no doubt he just got back from his Anbu mission. There was also a large red stain on his front armor plate above his abdomen.

Suddenly, her annoyance was forgotten as she threw aside her pillow and scooted aside to make room for him on her bed, already urging him to sit. He did so slowly, easing himself carefully onto her bed as if not to stain it when they both knew that it would be inevitable.

Moving to sit on the floor in front of him, she pulled out the first aid kit she kept under her bed and waited patiently for him to strip the torn article, revealing the gash over his abdomen. It was large, but shallow; a quick fix, and disinfecting it, she summoned a familiar glow to her hand before pressing the healing chakra to his left side, knitting the flesh and skin back together. They watched the action in silence, the same comfortable silence that filled all their other encounters. However, tonight was different. Kakashi broke the silence.

"So I heard Sasuke proposed to you," he stated. Despite his bland tone, the statement was like a knife into the night. It was enough to cause a slight distortion in the steady hum of the chakra in her hand as she stared up at him with surprise. How did he—never mind, she already knew who had told.

'_Ino…'_ she thought with annoyance. If Kakashi had heard, no doubt all of Konoha knew about it.

Sighing, she kept her gaze to the floor as she closed the first aid kit and pushed it back under her bed (she had done an inspection of his system while healing his wound. There was no hint of poison in his system so those small cuts could be left to heal on their own). _'I'll apologize to him tomorrow. First for refusing his proposal like I did, then for Ino. No doubt his ego must be smarting now that the entire village knows I rejected him.'_

Feeling Kakashi's patient gaze still on her, she realized she hadn't answered, and smoothed out the fabric of her sleeping shorts. "He did propose to me, and I refused," Sakura explained with a measure of awkward civility that made her feel oddly ill.

Kakashi looked up and blinked, a look of genuine surprise in his eyes. "But I thought you would've been happy."

"I don't like him anymore," she replied stiffly, fingers picking at her carpet. "In fact, I don't even know who he is anymore."

Kakashi hummed and nodded thoughtfully before clapping a hand to his knee. "Well, you should get to know him seeing how he'll probably be placed on our team once again when his probation is up. Ah, the joys of babysitting the Uchiha heir again," he mused to himself, pushing himself up from the bed.

It was Sakura's turn to blink. "Will that really happen?"

At the windowsill, Kakashi turned to her. A breeze crossed the room, ruffling her white sheer curtains and his Anbu scarf. The moonlight outlined his face, and though it was nowhere near his left eye, his Sharingan glowed eerily into the night. "Sakura, it was inevitable," he told her.

And with that, he disappeared on the wind. Walking to the window, she stuck her head out, hoping to catch him. She knew it would be nearly impossible—even at his age, Kakashi was still one of the best in the village—but still, she felt like trying.

Staring out over the rooftops, she searched for any moving shadows, but did not find the silhouette she was looking for. Sighing, she pillowed her head on her arms against the windowsill, her body bathed in moonlight. Thinking about what Kakashi said, Sakura felt her brows knit and a deep frown pull at her lips.

"_Sakura, it was inevitable."_

Burying her head deeper into her arms, she let out a large groan. "The inevitable is a pain in the ass."

* * *

**A/N: Done with chapter three. So now we know why Sakura was so excited over helping Hinata and Naruto. If some sentences seem awkward, I'm sorry. I haven't written in so long so everything is funky. :/**

**The quotes from the book are direct from the copy of Jane Austen I own and I do not own them, though the book is very lovely (even if I'm only a bit further than where Sakura left off).**

**Hopefully my computer will be fixed soon (See my moodiful819 profile for details). See you guys later! :D**


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